Help Complete Haile Gerima's next film: Black Lions, Roman Wolves
Join us in supporting the completion of Black Lions, Roman Wolves, the long-awaited 5-part documentary from legendary filmmaker Haile Gerima, a visionary whose work has shaped global conversations around African identity, resistance, and liberation for over four decades.
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Black Lions, Roman Wolves is a 5-part documentary about Ethiopia’s decisive anti-colonial victory against Italy’s second invasion in 1935.
Haile Gerima combines personal accounts and memories of the war with age-old folklore, war chants, and praise poetry, bringing to light the collective spirit of resistance that ensured Ethiopia’s victory and enduring independence from colonial greed.
Support today by making a tax-deductible donation towards final completion costs of Black Lions, Roman Wolves, the 5-part, 10-hour-plus documentary film by Haile Gerima.
Support the Sankofa Community Film Archive
By supporting the Sankofa Community Film Archive, you’re investing in the preservation of cultural memory and helping to empower the next generation of storytellers.
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Preserve Our Stories, Inspire Future Generations.
For more than 45 years, filmmakers Shirikiana and Haile Gerima have created a remarkable body of work that captures the history, resilience, creativity, and lived experiences of the Black and African diaspora. Their films and multimedia works have become an important part of independent cinema and global cultural history.
The Sankofa Community Film Archive was established to preserve this invaluable legacy and ensure that these works remain accessible for future generations. The archive houses an extensive collection of film and mixed media documenting decades of documentation, outtakes from completed films including interviews with pillars in the local, national and international communities. The formats are varied, including 8mm, 16mm, and 35mm film, reel-to-reel audio recordings, photographs, manuscripts, posters, and other archival documents that trace the creative journeys of Shirikiana and Haile Gerima.
The archive is committed to preserving these fragile materials through professional archival practices while expanding access for students, scholars, filmmakers, artists, and the public. As the collection is organized and digitized, it will become an important resource for research, education, and activism.
The Sankofa Film Archive is a living record of independent Black cinema and a testament to storytelling as a tool for cultural memory, historical preservation, and social transformation. By safeguarding these materials, the archive helps ensure that the voices, histories, and artistic achievements they represent will continue to inform and inspire generations to come.
Around the Fire Immersion Workshop
Summer 2027 | Washington, DC
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Preserve Our Stories, Inspire Future Generations.
Summer 2027 | Washington, DC
Acclaimed filmmaker and educator Haile Gerima will lead a special Around the Fire Immersion Workshop in Summer 2027 in Washington, DC. Unlike previous Around the Fire workshops, which focused on participants' personal storytelling and creative development, this immersive program is specifically designed to train individuals to teach the Around the Fire storytelling methodology. Participants will learn both the principles and the pedagogical practices needed to effectively teach this transformative, community-centered approach in their own educational settings.
Enrollment is limited to 12 participants, ensuring an intensive, highly interactive learning experience with individualized guidance. Participants who successfully complete the workshop will receive a Certificate of Completion, recognizing their preparation to teach the Around the Fire storytelling technique.
Hold the dates: June 27 - July 24, 2027
All levels of filmmakers welcome, the class will be a mix of all levels of filmmakers. You do not have to be a teacher, filmmakers will be certified to teach.
In a world where media is increasingly controlled by a few, your contribution helps shift that power, making room for authentic voices that challenge, redefine, and inspire.
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Support the Rise of Independent Black Storytellers
At Sankofa Film Institute, we follow the vision of filmmaker Haile Gerima, who defines independent cinema as a bold act of seeing—free from Hollywood’s commercial lens. With your support, we empower a new generation to tell their own stories, drawn from real experiences and unfiltered imagination.
In a world where media is increasingly controlled by a few, your contribution helps shift that power, making room for authentic voices that challenge, redefine, and inspire.
Empower the Next Generation of Storytellers
Our hands-on filmmaking workshops offer aspiring artists—especially youth from marginalized communities—access to the skills, tools, and mentorship they need to thrive.
Your donation helps us:
Provide free and affordable workshops
Bring in experienced filmmakers as mentors
Supply cameras, editing tools, and production support
Build a vibrant hub for Black independent cinema
For over 45 years, Sankofa Film Institute has nurtured creativity and preserved culture through the art of film. When you give, you’re not just supporting a program, you’re investing in storytellers who will shape the future.
Donate today. Help powerful stories be seen and heard.
Support SFI’s General Operating Fund.
With your help in 2026, we will expand our capacity to teach filmmaking and show independent movies and develop critical audiences.
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Since 1978, Positive Productions, Inc. DBA Sankofa Film Institute, has championed African diaspora and African American storytellers, providing the tools and spaces they need to share their truths. As a 501(c)3 non-profit, our mission is rooted in the belief that cultural awareness is essential to realizing one’s full humanity. With your help in 2026 we will expand our capacity to teach filmmaking and show independent movies and develop critical audiences.